Be the Change: Ben Hughes

What activity would motivate you to dedicate 40 years of your life?

For Ben Hughes, it’s teaching. In 1963, Ben graduated from Chico State with a major in social science and a minor in earth science. After getting his teaching credential in 1964 and his master’s degree in 1965, Ben was hired to teach at Red Bluff High School, where he remained for 38 years. Partway through his career at the high school, Ben began working with Shasta College, where he taught for 25 years. “I was in the classroom for 40 years,” Ben says, “and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

A lifestyle of commitment

Ben’s commitment to teaching is impressive by itself and his tenure in other parts of his life paints a fuller picture of the all-in, long-haul kind of commitment that characterizes Ben. In 1994, Ben’s superintendent asked him to check out a meeting about “some sort of center.” Ben showed up at the meeting to find himself on the ground floor of founding the Sacramento River Discovery Center (SRDC). Ben and his wife, Bobie, joined a team of people searching out grants and navigating shifting politics to build and launch the educational center. Two years later, the center opened its doors. Now, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary, SRDC continues to educate children, adults and families about nature in the North State – and Ben is still involved.

Engaging students of all ages

Jim Hirsch, who serves alongside Ben as a volunteer board member for SRDC, describes it as “a little niche in the community that’s impacting a lot of kids. For kids who live in the city, this is an aspect of their education that is otherwise not very available to them.” As part of the Red Bluff Recreation Area, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, SRDC’s mission is to educate the public on the importance of water conservation and sustainable gardening practices. This mission encompasses education about the plants, animals, ecological systems and geography of our region.

With kid-friendly exhibits and interactive activities, SRDC is an ideal place for school field trips and for every field trip group he leads, Ben is a wellspring of enthusiasm and information. Jim describes his friend as “absolutely amazing. Ben is 84 years old, but you wouldn’t know when you see him hop like a scrub jay when he takes the kids on bird walks!”

Ben loves making learning interactive. He recalls covering the walls with brown paper to transform his classroom into a cave for his high school sophomore “cavemen” to cover with art. At SRDC, he loves challenging students to study and record everything they see in a single square-foot of nature. “The energy that Ben puts into his interaction with the kids is just terrific,” Jim says. “His career was in high school and college and he is just so knowledgeable, but he has the ability to put things together so even the kids think, whoa that is really cool!”

A kid at heart, a teacher for life

In addition to his love for the natural world and education, Ben has a passion for history – especially California history. He has published several articles and even a couple of books about local history. He also actively contributes to the William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park. He recently finished building a wooden dry sink, a typical piece of pioneer-era furniture, and donated it to the 1850s homestead at the park.

Debbie King, who serves as SRDC’s executive director, met Ben when she was in high school. As a student in the history class Ben taught with his dear friend Don Hislop, Debbie watched Ben’s eyes light up with enthusiasm as he taught. “Mr. Hughes is a big kid at heart,” she says affectionately. Ben and his wife deeply impacted the King family, including connecting Debbie with a job at their church and encouraging her to learn indoor maintenance skills at the church.

When Debbie’s husband died in 2019, these skills saved Debbie expensive home repair bills and gave her confidence she wouldn’t have otherwise had. “Ben and Bobie inspire me,” Debbie says, citing dozens of ways Ben and Bobie have supported her during difficult personal trials. “There are thousands of people that he and Bobie both came in contact with that they’ve inspired,” she says, “and they’re like second parents to me.”

Sadly, after volunteering countless hours at SRDC and caring for untold numbers of people, Bobie died in July 2025, leaving a big hole in Ben’s life and the SRDC community. Ben and Bobie had been married for 64 years! As he grieves his beloved wife, Ben takes comfort in the couple’s still-growing family; one of their granddaughters just gave birth to their 14th great-grandchild! He also continues to enjoy his teaching outlets, pouring his passions for nature, history and life into the next generation.

“Mr. Hughes has been teaching for decades, but he still has that energy that kids are attracted to,” Debbie says. “He’s a great teacher; he doesn’t know how not to be! It’s not a matter of him retiring; he’s a teacher for life!”